FW__Urgent_request_for_exigent_circumstance_exemption_-_Wright,_Umiika_-_Outlook.pdf

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Attached to
Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) Early Intervention Behavioral Health Services and Supports: Adults and Older Adults
Solicitation number
952-0617-27
Issued by
Trinity County, California

About this file

This is an internal email chain documenting Solano County's request for an exigent circumstance exemption under Assembly Bill 339 regarding two Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) Early Intervention RFPs. The county's Behavioral Health department, led by Chief Deputy Director Jennifer Mullane, requested expedited processing of two RFPs: one for Youth Early Intervention services (ages 25 and under) and one for Adult Early Intervention services (ages 26 and older). Both procurements are funded through BHSA and are necessary to replace programs that will not be renewed due to BHSA funding reductions. The email chain, which spans from June 3 to June 24, 2026, documents the approval process through the Human Resources Labor and Employee Relations department and coordination with the General Services Department for purchasing. On June 3, 2026, HR Manager Nicholas Balolong approved the exigent circumstance exemption, which waives the standard 45-day union notification and "Meet and Confer" waiting period required under AB 339. By June 9, 2026, HR confirmed approval to move forward with the RFP process, with the understanding that unions could still request to meet and confer but could not stop the procurement process.

The exigent exemption was granted based on the urgency of filling critical service gaps created by funding reductions, with the county emphasizing that hundreds of vulnerable community members, including older adults, would lose access to essential services at the end of June 2026 without timely action. Early Intervention services under these RFPs are designed to proactively identify and address behavioral health needs before conditions escalate, with particular emphasis on prevention, crisis management, and functional decline prevention for older adults. The RFPs had been uploaded to the OpenGov platform by June 2 for Purchasing's review and were in "Pending Request" status as of the email chain's conclusion. The procurement process involved coordination between Behavioral Health Administration (led by Stefani Brooks), Human Resources, the Chief Administrative Officer's office, and the General Services Department, indicating county-wide prioritization of expediting these critical service contracts.

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Outlook

FW: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption

From Despabiladeras, Nesmith A. <NADespabiladeras@SolanoCounty.gov> Date Wed 6/24/2026 12:08 PM To Wright, Umiika <UWright@SolanoCounty.gov>

From: Tave, Anthony L. <ALTave@solanocounty.gov> Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 12:46 PM To: Despabiladeras, Nesmith A. <NADespabiladeras@SolanoCounty.gov>; Poole, Karen D.

<KDPoole@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: Fw: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption

Anthony Tave, P.E.

Director

General Services Department

Solano County

675 Texas Street Fairfield, CA 94534

(707) 784-3469 (direct)

(707) 784-7900 (department)

Altave@solanocounty.gov

**CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE**: The information contained in this e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient (s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, and have received this communication in error, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. Thank you.

mailto:Altave@solanocounty.gov

From: Balolong, Nicholas A. <NABalolong@solanocounty.gov> Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 12:43 PM To: Edwards, Niger M. <NMEdwards@SolanoCounty.gov>; Lovejoy, Melaniece L. <MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov> Cc: Smith, Jessica J. (HR) <JJSmith@SolanoCounty.gov>; Tave, Anthony L. <ALTave@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: RE: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption

Good afternoon all, Yes, the RFP process can move forward.

H&SS deemed this RFP as exigent in a trailing communication, on June 3. Once a department has deemed a contract to be exigent, the 45-day notification period is waived. However, that does not absolve the County of the obligation to Meet and Confer at the Union’s request. The department is essentially saying that the contract must move forward to avoid any undue delays that would potentially result in a negative impact on the operation.

That said, the process can continue forward with the understanding that the department may still have to Meet and Confer. If that were to happen, the Union would not have the ability to stop the current process; we would simply assess the situation at that time to determine how to address their concerns.

Thank you.

Respectfully, Nick Balolong Human Resources Manager Labor and Employee Relations Solano County Human Resources 675 Texas Street, Suite 1800, Fairfield, CA 94533 Office - (707) 784-6179 Cell – (707) 290-6944 nabalolong@solanocounty.gov

From: Edwards, Niger M. <NMEdwards@SolanoCounty.gov> Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 12:34 PM To: Balolong, Nicholas A. <NABalolong@solanocounty.gov>; Lovejoy, Melaniece L.

<MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov> Cc: Smith, Jessica J. (HR) <JJSmith@SolanoCounty.gov>; Tave, Anthony L. <ALTave@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: FW: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption Importance: High

Team, Not sure who received/reviewed the item in question, and I do not see it listed (perhaps not searching correct name) but can someone confirm that this item was indicated as exigent and the department can move forward with an RFP?

The RFPs are:

mailto:NABalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:NMEdwards@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:JJSmith@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:ALTave@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:nabalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:NMEdwards@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NABalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:JJSmith@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:ALTave@SolanoCounty.gov

Youth Early Intervention Program (ages 25 and under) – funded through BHSA BHSS Early Intervention Adult Early Intervention Program (ages 26 and older) – funded through BHSA BHSS Adult Systems of Care

Niger Edwards Director of Human Resources

From: Tave, Anthony L. <ALTave@solanocounty.gov> Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 12:22 PM To: Edwards, Niger M. <NMEdwards@SolanoCounty.gov> Cc: Poole, Karen D. <KDPoole@SolanoCounty.gov>; Balolong, Nicholas A. <NABalolong@solanocounty.gov>;

Despabiladeras, Nesmith A. <NADespabiladeras@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: Fw: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption

Niger please see below. Are we ok to move forward?

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From: Mullane, Jennifer <JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov> Sent: Tuesday, 09 June 2026 12:12:51 To: Tave, Anthony L. <ALTave@SolanoCounty.gov> Cc: Cowan, Emery <ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: RE: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption

Anthony – in case it was not communicated to you, HR indicated that they have “approved” this RFP as exigent.

Jen

From: Mullane, Jennifer Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 11:49 AM To: Tave, Anthony L. <ALTave@SolanoCounty.gov> Cc: Cowan, Emery <ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: FW: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption Importance: High

Anthony – thanks for your help earlier after the BOS meeting, we very much appreciate your partnership.

Please see the below from our BH team – it appears that the RFP in in question is pending approval by the Purchasing Department as of June 2. I’m assuming this means General Services purchasing…can you please advise, and let me know if you need any other information to verify the status?

Copying Emery for visibility since the CAO is tracking this as well.

Jen mailto:ALTave@solanocounty.gov mailto:NMEdwards@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:KDPoole@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NABalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:NADespabiladeras@SolanoCounty.gov https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faka.ms%2Fo0ukef&data=05%7C02%7CUWright%40SolanoCounty.gov%7Cd6a19a857ecd45db960208ded223f212%7C5e7f20ace5f14f838c3bce44b8486421%7C0%7C0%7C639179249017876917%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=e7hiJngOnxfQ7iuP%2FbwJ0KhWyV6ZFt3szYLQMCXIMQ8%3D&reserved=0 mailto:JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:ALTave@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:ALTave@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov

From: Brooks, Stefani <SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov> Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 11:43 AM To: Mullane, Jennifer <JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov>; Balolong, Nicholas A. <NABalolong@solanocounty.gov> Cc: Cowan, Emery <ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov>; Hobbs, Nathan <NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov>; Ezenwa, Yvonne <YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov>; Durrah, Eugene A. <EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov>; Lovejoy, Melaniece L.

<MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: Re: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption

Hi Jen, My team has uploaded both of the EI RFPs into OpenGov for Purchasing's review as of 6/2 and asked Purchasing if they could initiate their review while we wait for HR's approval. They both currently show "Pending Request". Please let me know if here is any way I can support.

Thank you, Stefani Brooks Senior Staff Analyst - Network Integrity Team Solano County Health & Social Services Behavioral Health Administration 707-784-8213 nonproprietary

From: Mullane, Jennifer <JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov> Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 10:41 AM To: Brooks, Stefani <SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov>; Balolong, Nicholas A. <NABalolong@solanocounty.gov> Cc: Cowan, Emery <ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov>; Hobbs, Nathan <NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov>; Ezenwa, Yvonne <YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov>; Durrah, Eugene A. <EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov>; Lovejoy, Melaniece L.

<MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: Re: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption

Hi - we were approached by the CAO after our BOS meeting today asking for an update on the EI RFP status. This was prompted by public comment from one of the non-renewed PEI programs.

What is the most up to date status and likely timeline, given where we’re at?

mailto:SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NABalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NABalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov

Thanks, Jen

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From: Brooks, Stefani <SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov> Sent: Wednesday, 03 June 2026 17:05:45 To: Balolong, Nicholas A. <NABalolong@solanocounty.gov>; Mullane, Jennifer <JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov> Cc: Cowan, Emery <ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov>; Hobbs, Nathan <NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov>; Ezenwa, Yvonne <YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov>; Durrah, Eugene A. <EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov>; Lovejoy, Melaniece L.

<MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: Re: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption

Hello Nick, Please find both Solicitations attached.

Thank you, Stefani Brooks Senior Staff Analyst - Network Integrity Team Solano County Health & Social Services Behavioral Health Administration 707-784-8213 nonproprietary

From: Balolong, Nicholas A. <NABalolong@solanocounty.gov> Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 4:58 PM To: Mullane, Jennifer <JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov> Cc: Cowan, Emery <ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov>; Hobbs, Nathan <NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov>; Ezenwa, Yvonne <YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov>; Brooks, Stefani <SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov>; Durrah, Eugene A.

<EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov>; Lovejoy, Melaniece L. <MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: RE: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption

Jennifer, You are very welcome. We will be on the lookout for the information.

Thank you.

Respectfully, Nick Balolong Human Resources Manager Labor and Employee Relations Solano County Human Resources 675 Texas Street, Suite 1800, Fairfield, CA 94533 Office - (707) 784-6179 Cell – (707) 290-6944 nabalolong@solanocounty.gov https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faka.ms%2Fo0ukef&data=05%7C02%7CUWright%40SolanoCounty.gov%7Cd6a19a857ecd45db960208ded223f212%7C5e7f20ace5f14f838c3bce44b8486421%7C0%7C0%7C639179249017909680%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=1wIYatNKFEaQAPu2fCaePBlDUEvkKTdTbd6TI2aLZnY%3D&reserved=0 mailto:SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NABalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NABalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:nabalolong@solanocounty.gov

From: Mullane, Jennifer <JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov> Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 4:52 PM To: Balolong, Nicholas A. <NABalolong@solanocounty.gov> Cc: Cowan, Emery <ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov>; Hobbs, Nathan <NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov>; Ezenwa, Yvonne <YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov>; Brooks, Stefani <SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov>; Durrah, Eugene A.

<EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov>; Lovejoy, Melaniece L. <MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: Re: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption

Nick - thank you for your quick reply, we really appreciate it. My team will send the solicitation of work, per your request, asap.

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From: Balolong, Nicholas A. <NABalolong@solanocounty.gov> Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 4:41:36 PM To: Mullane, Jennifer <JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov> Cc: Cowan, Emery <ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov>; Hobbs, Nathan <NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov>; Ezenwa, Yvonne <YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov>; Brooks, Stefani <SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov>; Durrah, Eugene A.

<EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov>; Lovejoy, Melaniece L. <MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: RE: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption

Good afternoon Jennifer, If you can please provide Melaniece with the Solicitation of Work for both RFPs, it will allow her to conduct the necessary classification review. Once received, she will prioritize the review of both RFPs so we can expedite the union notification process.

Under the AB 339 exigent exemption clause, you will be able to move forward without the necessary 45-day waiting period to allow the Union to Meet and Confer. Please understand that this does not preclude the Union from requesting to Meet and Confer. If the Union chooses to Meet and Confer, then the department would still have to meet with them; however, the exigent exemption allows the department to move forward with the needs of the operation without incurring undue delays.

Please advise if you have any questions. We will be standing by for the Solicitation of Work, for both RFPs.

Thank you very much.

Respectfully, Nick Balolong Human Resources Manager Labor and Employee Relations mailto:JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NABalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:MLLovejoy@SolanoCounty.gov https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faka.ms%2Fo0ukef&data=05%7C02%7CUWright%40SolanoCounty.gov%7Cd6a19a857ecd45db960208ded223f212%7C5e7f20ace5f14f838c3bce44b8486421%7C0%7C0%7C639179249017931371%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fgcN4%2FvgtjD%2FN84G7pXIknpvTosh8ZNCH3u2WeaudoQ%3D&reserved=0 mailto:NABalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov

Solano County Human Resources 675 Texas Street, Suite 1800, Fairfield, CA 94533 Office - (707) 784-6179 Cell – (707) 290-6944 nabalolong@solanocounty.gov

From: Mullane, Jennifer <JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov> Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 3:50 PM To: Balolong, Nicholas A. <NABalolong@solanocounty.gov> Cc: Cowan, Emery <ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov>; Hobbs, Nathan <NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov>; Ezenwa, Yvonne <YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov>; Brooks, Stefani <SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov>; Durrah, Eugene A.

<EADurrah@SolanoCounty.gov> Subject: Urgent request for exigent circumstance exemption Importance: High

Nick, I’m writing to request your assistance with two urgent Behavioral Health RFPs that are currently delayed due to concerns related to AB 339. This delay is creating significant barriers to equitable access to early intervention services for underserved children, youth, adults, and older adults in Solano County.

The RFPs are:

Youth Early Intervention Program (ages 25 and under) – funded through BHSA BHSS Early Intervention Adult Early Intervention Program (ages 26 and older) – funded through BHSA BHSS Adult Systems of Care

These procurements are necessary to replace programs that will not be renewed following recent BHSA funding reductions. Without timely action, hundreds of vulnerable community members, many of them older adults, will lose access to critical services at the end of this month. The purpose of these RFPs is to fill those service gaps as well as to create new early interventions services in our system of care, congruent with the new BHSA standards and guidelines.

As formerly communicated to HR staff in previous emails (attached), Behavioral Health is requesting that we exercise an exigent circumstance exception, thereby waiving the AB 339 45-day waiting period.

We are asking that HR urgently move forward with General Services to post these RFPs immediately rather than continuing to delay the procurement process.

Thank you for making this a priority – I am including Emery Cowan for visibility and support, as needed.

Jennifer Mullane, MS, LPCC

(she/her)

Chief Deputy Director Behavioral Health

Solano County Health and Social Services mailto:nabalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:JMullane@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NABalolong@solanocounty.gov mailto:ECowan@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:NHobbs@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:YEzenwa@SolanoCounty.gov mailto:SBrooks@SolanoCounty.gov

OFFICE

WEB

ADDRESS

707-784-8251 www.solanocounty.gov

275 Beck Avenue, Fairfield, CA 94533

JOBS HHS jobs

Nonproprietary (this is to un-encrypt outgoing messages, please disregard)

Starting March 1, 2025, all Solano County email addresses will transition from the current @solanocounty.com to @solanocounty.gov. Our website is also now www.solanocounty.gov - Please be sure to update your contacts and communications accordingly.

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